Texas

Iconic Lone Star hunting, private ranches, Trans-Pecos mule deer, South Texas brush country monster whitetails.

Public Access & WMAs

Public Lands to Hunt in Texas

Official Regulatory Authority

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) manages public hunting access across more than 1 million acres through its acclaimed Annual Public Hunting (APH) Program and state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). While Texas is over 95% privately owned, public sportsmen can access over 180 public hunting units—including national forests, national grasslands, state parks, and state WMAs—with a simple, low-cost Annual Public Hunting permit. From the dense pine timber of East Texas to the brush country of the Rio Grande and the rugged canyons of the Trans-Pecos, Texas public lands offer outstanding hunting.

East Texas Pineywoods | 163,000 Acres

Sam Houston National Forest

Located north of Houston in Montgomery, Walker, and San Jacinto counties. Dense loblolly pine timber, hardwood creek bottoms, and palmetto flats provide the most popular public hunting ground in Texas for whitetail deer, feral hogs, eastern wild turkeys, squirrels, and woodcock under the APH permit.

South Texas Brush Country | 15,200 Acres

Chaparral Wildlife Management Area

Situated in Dimmit and La Salle counties in the heart of the legendary South Texas 'Golden Triangle'. Dense thorny brush (mesquite, guajillo, prickly pear) produces giant Boone & Crockett whitetail bucks, feral hogs, javelina, and world-class bobwhite quail hunting via special drawing hunts.

Rolling Plains & Pease River | 28,183 Acres

Matador Wildlife Management Area

Located in Cottle County in the Texas Panhandle along the Middle and South Pease rivers. Features red clay bluffs, cedar breaks, and sand sagebrush flats supporting Rio Grande wild turkey, mule deer, whitetail deer, bobwhite quail, and feral hogs.

Post Oak Savannah | 10,958 Acres

Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area

Located in Anderson County along Catfish Creek. Encompassing boggy bottomland hardwood forests, post oak woodlands, and marshes. Celebrated for high-density whitetail deer hunting, feral hogs, waterfowl, and spring squirrel hunting under special draw and e-Permit systems.

Trans-Pecos & Big Bend | 103,000 Acres

Black Gap Wildlife Management Area

Bordering Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande in Brewster County. Covering rugged limestone peaks, deep volcanic canyons, and desert washes. Managed for desert bighorn sheep restoration, javelina, desert mule deer, and blue (scaled) quail hunting.